Sports
Max Arfsten nets early goal as Crew proceed to blank Union
Apr 25, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew midfielder Dylan Chambost (7) kicks the ball during the first half against the Philadelphia Union at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Max Arfsten scored in the fifth minute and Patrick Schulte made three saves to help the Columbus Crew defeat the visiting Philadelphia Union 2-0 on Saturday.
After Arfsten staked the Crew (3-4-3, 12 points) to the lead, an own goal by Union defender Nathan Harriel in the third minute of first-half stoppage time provided the final margin.
The Union (1-7-2, 5 points) had a three-match point streak (1-0-2) stopped while the Crew is 3-1-1 in the past five.
Schulte recorded his second shutout of the season, the other coming March 7 in a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Fire.
The first half began and ended calamitously for the Union, which saw midfielder Jesus Bueno leave with a leg injury sustained at the onset of the sequence leading to the second goal.
Arfsten opened the scoring with the sixth goal contribution (three goals, three assists) in the past six matches for the U.S. World Cup hopeful.
Dylan Chambost sent a long ball out of the back which glanced off Union defender Philippe Ndinga to Arfsten down the right flank and he broke free for the score.
Just over a minute later, Arfsten had another break but Andre Blake made the save.
It wasn’t all in favor of the Crew because 10 minutes later, the Union had numbers heading into the final third and Danley Jean Jacques passed to Milan Iloski on his right but his shot pinged the left post.
Philadelphia nearly made it to the half with a one-goal deficit but a potential scoring opportunity quickly turned the other way.
The Union was on the attack after a turnover but a slide tackle by Seko Bangoura dispossessed Bueno, who stayed down with an injury, and the Crew created a counter with Arfsten once again on the run on the right flank before sending a cross to the box.
Harriel’s clearing attempt went off a sliding Blake and the rebound hit Harriel and went into the goal.
Crew defender Mo Farsi entered for Arfsten in the 81st minute for his first appearance since July 6, 2025, after undergoing sports hernia surgery.
Union defender Japhet Sery Larsen was red-carded in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Duke F Cameron Boozer declares for NBA Draft
Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) dunks March 21, 2026 during the second half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game with TCU at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Standout Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, the 2025-26 Naismith National Player of the Year, declared for the 2026 NBA Draft Friday night.
He announced the news on his Instagram account with the caption, “Thank you for everything @dukeuniversity. Duke Blue forever.”
The son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, Cameron Boozer was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and ninth nationally with 22.5 points per game, led the conference with 10.2 rebounds per game and tacked on 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 38 games.
He was a first-team All American and is projected as a top-three pick in this summer’s draft alongside BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who also both declared for the draft this week.
His twin brother, Cayden, announced he’s returning to Duke for his sophomore season after averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Inter Miami take another swing at first win in new stadium vs. Revs
Apr 22, 2026; Sandy, Utah, USA; Inter Miami CF midfielder Lionel Messi (10) plays the ball against Real Salt Lake during the first half at America First Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will seek a third consecutive victory, and the first in their new home, when they host the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
After settling for 2-2 draws against Austin FC and the New York Red Bulls in the first two matches played at Nu Stadium, manager Javier Mascherano suddenly resigned and sporting director Guillermo Hoyos took over on an interim basis.
The Herons (5-1-3, 18 points) then hit the road for a 3-2 win at Colorado last Saturday night and 2-0 victory at Salt Lake on Wednesday evening.
Messi scored his team-leading sixth and seventh goals against Colorado. Against Salt Lake, late goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez made the difference.
And overall, the trip provided a team-bonding opportunity following an unexpected change.
“We spent, those two matches, almost a full week together,” Hoyos said in Spanish. “And during that time we really got to know each other on a much deeper level, especially with those we didn’t know before. But it was truly a pleasure because there was a lot of laughter. The players were very happy.”
Meanwhile, a New England side with modest expectations this season has quietly assembled a four-match league winning streak, including an impressive 2-1 victory at Atlanta United on Wednesday night.
William Sands and Peyton Miller scored in the 73rd and 78th minutes, respectively, as the Revolution (5-3-0, 15 points) rallied to a late win. And American World Cup hopeful Matt Turner made eight saves to raise his save percentage to 77.1%.
The Revolution have lost all four of their matches with the Herons since Messi’s arrival to MLS. But while first-year coach Marko Mitrovic respects the challenge the South Floridians present, he believes his side can exploit some of their deficiencies.
“I don’t want to say we can give them resistance,” Mitrovic said. “We’re not there to give resistance to players, to any team. We’re there to play our game, to try be on our best (level).”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austin FC look to home match vs. rival Dynamo to end winless swoon
Apr 11, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Austin FC midfielder Joseph Rosales (30) controls the ball against LA Galaxy midfielder Lucas Sanabria (8) during the first half at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images Austin FC hope that the added intensity of a rivalry match at home with the Houston Dynamo changes their recent winless swoon when the sides square off Saturday in the latest edition of the quest for Copa Tejas.
The Dynamo head northwest to the Texan capital on the heels of a 1-0 home win over San Diego FC on Wednesday. Ibrahim Aliyu’s goal in the 35th minute was the difference-maker and keeper Jonathan Bond had to save just one shot to secure a second consecutive shutout for Houston (4-4-0, 12 points).
The shutout streak comes after Houston surrendered six goals in a shellacking at Colorado on April 11.
“After that loss, there was a refocus on the defensive side, on how we look off the ball and how we look after each other,” Dynamo coach Ben Olsen said after Wednesday’s victory. “We could have made things easier for ourselves with a second goal — we have to do a better job of understanding when it’s time to go against a team that leaves itself exposed.”
Dynamo starting striker Ondrej Lingr, who assisted on Aliyu’s goal on Wednesday, was shown a red card late in that match and will not be available versus Austin.
Austin travels home from the Bay Area after a 5-1 walloping Wednesday at the hands of San Jose. That match was the third on the road in nine days for the Verde (1-4-4, 7 points), with Joseph Rosales scoring Austin’s lone goal while goalkeeper Brad Stuver saved 11 of the 16 shots with which he was peppered before the floodgates opened.
Austin is winless in its last seven MLS matches (0-4-3) and has allowed 12 goals in its past four contests. The Verde, who scored a Western Conference-low 37 goals last season, have been outscored 19-12 over their nine matches this year.
The Verde are still looking for a balance between pressing to score and limiting their opponents’ opportunities. San Jose had a 37-6 edge in shots on Wednesday while defeating Austin.
“We were not a team that scored many goals (last season),” Austin coach Nico Estevez explained. “This is something we talked about in the offseason. And it’s true that sometimes when you focus so much on improving one thing, you can get worse in other aspects.”
The Verde have historically been dominant at home in MLS matches against Houston, forging a 5-1-1 mark the seven times the sides have clashed at Q2 Stadium.
–Field Level Media
Duke F Cameron Boozer declares for NBA Draft
The Extremely R-Rated 90s Sci-Fi That Sent An Alien Caveman On Revenge Quest
